


For Eternity

by sanctuary_for_all



Series: Partners [83]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: But being dead isn't nearly enough to shut up Danny Williams, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Feels, Fluff and Angst, Good thing he likes that a million times better than the harps, Him talking is the soundtrack to Steve's afterlife, Humor, I should probably apologize for this, M/M, Major character death - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:28:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24331354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctuary_for_all/pseuds/sanctuary_for_all
Summary: “We’re probably going to get in trouble as soon as someone figures out we’re doing this.” (Waaaay in the future fic)
Relationships: Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams
Series: Partners [83]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/105629
Comments: 26
Kudos: 257





	For Eternity

**Author's Note:**

> I guess you could say this was inspired by Memorial Day, but I've honestly been working out how to write this story for a while now. I just had to figure out a way to write it where I'd only cry through part of it, not the whole thing.

It was a bright, clear day, filled – just as it should be – with the sounds of conversation and playing children. The adults were spreading blankets out on the grass, filling with food out of three separate coolers. Everyone cooked in this family, in one way or another, and the dishes were a multicolored mixture of Italian, Hawaiian, Japanese, and Californian cooking.

And, just like last year, two plates were filled to the brim and set on top of the joint grave at the center of all of it.

Though he no longer had tear ducts, it still took real effort for Danny not to burst into tears. “We’re probably going to get in trouble as soon as someone figures out we’re doing this.”

Next to him, Steve just smiled serenely. He mostly chose to spend his afterlife in a t-shirt and khakis, surprise of surprises, his face as young as it had been when Danny first met him. “Nah. Watching over their family is pretty basic stuff for ghosts.”

“But we’re not technically ghosts,” Danny argued, his own face just as young as Steve’s. He was currently wearing a Henley that looked – and felt – suspiciously like one Steve had owned decades before, well-loved enough that it had eventually been defeated by a washing machine. “Because ghosts, as you might recall from a variety of movies and television shows, do not get to spend time in Heaven whenever they feel like it. I may not have spent a lot of time in church when I was a kid, but I’m pretty sure the Catholic church was pretty firm on people staying on either one side of the Pearly Gates or the other.”

Steve just looked amused. “Catholics are also pretty firm on the whole ‘God knows everything’ idea, aren’t they?” He sat down on the grass – though there was a question if sitting was technically possible when you didn’t actually have a body – and tugged Danny downward until he followed. “So the Big Guy probably knows we’re doing this, and have been for awhile.”

Danny sighed, positioning himself so he could lean against Steve. “Don’t tell my mother that. She’ll want to join us.”

“Of course not.” Steve’s voice was soft as he rested his cheek against Danny’s hair. “Though we can spend more time in heaven if you want. Chin’s started cloud surfing, and he’s been trying to talk Lou into it without much success. He thinks he’ll have better luck if we go with him.”

Danny smiled a little. “You know, I always thought Chin was the sane one on the team. Still kind of surprised how wrong I was about that.”

They just watched for a while, letting themselves soak in all the faces they could see whenever they wanted but could no longer touch or interact with. Grace’s hair was almost fully gray now, and she was letting it stay that way with a maturity and self-possession that neither he nor Rachel had ever possessed. Brandon was growing his goatee back in, and the fine lines around his eyes seemed deeper than they had been when Danny saw him last. The kids were all there, Grace and Lee’s three and Brandon and Michelle’s two, along with the spouses for those who had them. Youngest of them all was Gracie Lee, Danielle’s only child and what would have been – what _was_ – his and Steve’s first great-grandchild. She’d been a tiny baby when they’d gone, but now he could see her toddling around receiving hugs from everyone as if they were her due.

Danny’s throat closed up. “Food in heaven doesn’t taste right,” he murmured roughly, even though that wasn’t really what he was feeling at all.

Steve sighed, hearing everything Danny wasn’t saying. “I know exactly what you mean.”

Danny swallowed, threading his fingers through Steve’s. “Not that any of them better show up upstairs for a _long_ time. Not one of them inherited your lack of self-preservation instinct, thankfully, and you managed to last decades longer than anyone would have expected.”

He could hear the smile in Steve’s voice. “I had incentive. I’d made you a promise, remember?”

Danny did, Steve’s voice in his head as clear as if he’d heard it yesterday. _And one day, a long, long time in the future, our bodies will wear out at exactly the same time and we just won’t wake up._ He hadn’t thought of it as a promise at the time, because there was no way you could promise something like that. It had been a hope. A dream. A prayer, by someone who had long ago stopped believing in God.

(He’d had to eat a little crow about that, when he and Steve had first made it topside. His mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother had all teamed up on him.

Overall, he’d been far too grateful to argue. For an eternity with Steve, he’d believe in whoever or whatever he had to.)

Danny had to clear his throat before he could risk talking. “Yeah, well, we should probably get in trouble for that, too. There is no way in hell we should have been able to pull off that romance novel shit.”

Steve squeezed his leg. “Hey, all I did was live as long as I could. According to Noelani, you’re the one whose heart stopped less than five minutes after mine did.” Now it was his voice that went thick. “My heart just gave out, but she said you could have probably lived five, 10 more years if you wanted.”

The kids had understood. He’d been grateful for that, too.

“I spent the best years of my life chasing after you.” Danny turned just enough to press a kiss against Steve’s shoulder. “You really think I was going to stop in the home stretch?”

Speaking of the kids, both of their attention was immediately snagged when Grace walked over and sat down on the other side of the grave. The rest of the family all immediately started collecting the food and pretending to be busy with everything else, giving her a moment of privacy.

“They’ll all get their turn, but because I’m the oldest I get to go first.” Her eyes were already filling as she kissed her fingertips, then pressed it against the grave. “Hi, Daddy. Hi, Uncle Steve. I wish so much you could tell me how your week has been.”

Steve wiped his eyes. “I keep trying to get your dad to go comet chasing with me,” he murmured, voice rough. “I really think I could pull it off if I could tag-team with you like we used to.”

Danny’s own eyes were filling rapidly. “Don’t listen to him. It’s been good for the man to have to figure out how to make arguments on his own.” He sniffed. “He’s not very good at it.”

Grace smiled suddenly, even though tears were streaming down her cheeks. “I can just imagine the two of you,” she murmured, voice lighter than it had been. “I bet Uncle Steve’s trying to get you to go comet chasing.”

She started telling them about her week, from everything that was going on at the Children’s Justice Center she ran (client confidentiality was less of an issue when you were talking to dead people) to updates on the kids and grandkids. Eventually, she let out a breath and looked over to where Brandon was standing with his hands in his pockets.

“Sorry, I should wrap up. Brandon’s being really patient, but I’ve kept him waiting for a while now.” She pressed another kiss against the grave. “Brace yourselves, though. I’m pretty sure you’ll get everyone. We all still tell so many stories about you, and talk about you so much, that it feels like you’re more inconveniently invisible than actually gone.” She blinked, eyes filling again. “Gracie Lee will grow up knowing you, along with everyone who comes after her. You’re still family, even if you’re not here anymore.”

When she got up, both Steve and Danny had to wipe their eyes again. Danny looked away, making himself breath deep and slow, and saw Gracie Lee stop in the process of toddling over to her dad. She turned slightly, seeming to look straight at him, then beamed her grandmother’s smile and sent him a happy wave. Her dad turned to look over his shoulder, confused when no one seemed to be behind him, then shook his head and returned his attention to his daughter.

Then Danny turned back just as Brandon finished talking to his own daughter, then walked over and slowly sat down cross-legged in front of him. “Hey Danno. Hey Dad.” He pressed a kiss to the grave the same way his sister had, then wiped at the tears filling his eyes. “You would not _believe_ the week I’ve had.”

Swallowing back a fresh round of tears, Danny leaned his head back against his husband’s shoulder and listened to their son talk about his week.

**Author's Note:**

> Come check out my [original fiction,](https://jennifferwardell.wixsite.com/mybooks) my [blog,](http://jennifferwardell.blogspot.com) or say hi to me on [Tumblr](http://sanctuaryforalluniverses.tumblr.com)!


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